Seeds/plants becoming lost to us

[Fey]

I’m noticing more often that many countries are preventing – even passing laws – to stop certain seeds or plants from leaving their countries.

The latest I’ve come across is Rooibos seeds, (Aspalathus linearis). No one has had success growing it outside of Africa and the seeds are prepared before distribution to the growers, so that means there are secrets to the preparation of the seeds that might affect the plants’ longevity, or germination.

So if you want to try growing Rooibos, now would be your last chance to track down the seeds. I’ve managed to get some up but the person I bought the seeds from is gone.

[Fey]

What very strange plants these are. When everyone on the Net says they won’t grow anywhere else in the world, it makes me look at them more closely. After the weird method of germination, I noticed something else; when they come up, their first two leaves ALL pointed in the same direction….which makes me think, don’t mess with it. Keep them always in that positional direction when transplanting.

Even during the pre-germination process, I said to my daughter that they seem to have a magnetic, or strange static, response…though not to each other.

[Fey]

The health benefits of rooibos tea seem to be mostly due to the flavonoids aspalathin and nothofagin, although other compounds in rooibos may also play a part. Here’s a summary of the benefits:

Acts as an antioxidant and increases SOD levels

Prevents DNA damage

Cardiovascular protection through ACE inhibition

Suppresses fasting glucose levels

Improves glucose uptake and insulin secretion after a meal

Aids in liver tissue regeneration

Lowers blood pressure

Acts as a bronchodilator and antispasmodic

Inhibits lipid peroxidation and brain aging

Rooibos extract improves immune defects such as HIV

Since nothofagin and especially aspalathin are not really found in any other plant, rooibos tea looks like a valuable addition to one’s health regimen. Even people who are not fans of green tea usually like the taste of rooibos tea. Since rooibos contains no caffeine, it can be also enjoyed in the evening.

[IdahoHerbalist]

Based on the information you have posted above, are you the FIRST person to have germinated the plant outside of Africa?

Maybe you could get a peace prize for horticulture. I mean, even obama got one and he starts wars!

[Fey]

No, people have got them to germinate I think. They just can’t get them to grow. There was one place in Australia who used to sell the seeds and they said they were tricky to germinate and to soak them in hot water overnight.

When I did research I found out they were a legume, so when I soaked them (in warm water) I added a drop of fulvic acid and a pinch of mycorrhizal mix. I did a lot more based on research.

Yes, you can chuckle; but with what I’ve learned about plant culture, I’ve got the last laugh :Laugh: it seems like I can’t go wrong. How many people do you know of who would even notice the direction of a seedling’s leaves? I deserve to be this good…..so there :flapper:

And now, on the subject of the big O….. Have you ever been in the middle of oil-pulling and had a very cheeky family member go on and on about how much you love the guy? It’s so frustrating! You either have to spit, or let them win. Hard choice considering my political views. Hey…you brought it up first. 🙂

[Fey]

This is an email I received from SARooibos;

Rooibos is protected as Geographic indicator, thus a product that can only be called Rooibos if grown within specific boundaries of South Africa. The industry can thus not sell seeds to foreign countries, since South Africa is now officially recognized as the official, sole supplier of rooibos worldwide. It is similar to champagne, Darjeeling tea, Columbian coffee etc, which all receive acknowledgement and protection as products only stemming from a specific country.

We trust that you as rooibos enthusiast will respect the unique origin and help promote rooibos as indigenous to South Africa.

Regards

Soekie

If you read between the lines, it sounds as if you could still get the seeds under the name of, Aspalathus linearis, and that it’s just the name, “Rooibos”, that’s protected. ??? If anyone can get a hold of some seeds, I’ll give them all the information that I’ve gathered. (eg. Don’t store the seeds in the fridge like you would normal seeds)

C’mon IdahoHerbalist….give it a go. It’s the alchemy of every plant, the way it survives under so many influences that determines how to bring the seeds to life and to keep them going.

[IdahoHerbalist]

I am not sure just how many new things that require finite attention I am going to be able to take on this next year. Renee and I have taken on a HUGE social project that started out as a congregational thing. It swelled to THREE congregations and is quickly becoming a COMMUNITY thing. :scared: Biggest thing we have ever done like that. The date of this activity will be July 25th.

I am also going to try to focus on plants that at least come for the hemisphere that I live in! :nod: I may have to build a 10 thousand foot mountain on our property to grow Osha, but at least it is native to the state I live in! :LOL:

[Fey]

Good luck with the project. I’m going to focus on herbalism and growing herbs that belong on the earth.

I’m not hemisphere-ist at all :LOL:

[Fey]

IdahoHerbalist wrote: I may have to build a 10 thousand foot mountain on our property to grow Osha

This alone would be a worthy project to tackle. Sometimes I think some herbs need the full dedication of a herbalist. If you could start a substantial colony in your area it would be a wonderful achievement.

Something I read;

During 1999, due to high demand and what was considered over collection in the southwestern United States, Regions 1 and 4 of the United States Forest Service issued a three-year moratorium on the personal and commercial use/collection of Ligusticum. Osha was listed as “rare” on the 1997 International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Plants (Walter & Gillett 1998) but has not been subsequently listed. The species is not formally protected under native plant or endangered species laws. United Plant Savers (UpS), a conservation organization thatfocuses its efforts on populations of medicinal plants collected from the wild, includes osha on a list of “at risk” species (UpS 2007).

. The best time to collect osha root is in the fall, after the seeds have had time to mature and fall to the soil. Education of collectors to harvest in a sustainable manner is always important in the case of wild-crafted herbs.

A syrup made from the stems has been used for many of the disorders that the root is used for (Curtin 1976) and this should be investigated as an alternative to destructive root harvesting. Other more common species in the Apiaceae, such as several Angelica spp. and others are used in virtually identical ways to Ligusticum (Yi et al. 2007) and their use as alternatives to wild-harvested osha should be considered.

[Author]

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